1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to anchoring means and mooring means for watercraft anchoring either to a tree on the shoreline or to a dock boat slip. Much work has been done on means for anchoring a boat when the boat is unattended.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
A careful search of the prior art has been made and some of the results obtained will be discussed below. An early patent is Pat. No. 4,597,354 to Gelula. This patent teaches a self-aligning, a quick-release, coupling system useful in marine environments, and it is provided with a lock and key system so as to provide rowing and free riding, tying and lifting capabilities. This patent describes a coupling system having a male/female mating members to be joined at the option of the user. The supporting structure can be positioned in the sidewall of a small boat, and the securing end of the male connecting member connected to an oar or on a securing rope. A ball member of the male connecting member is freely rotatable between the female mating members positioned in the housing so as to provide rowing and free riding, typing and lifting capabilities. This system also includes a lock and key system that provides capability for the coupling system to be safely locked into the coupling mode or released therefrom.
Another patent is Pat. No. 4,077,349 to Paul. This patent describes a propelling device provided for propelling mooring lines from a boat to a dock or land when the boat has but a single pilot, or operator, and no deckhands for docking. The propelling device includes a projectile to which a mooring line is attached and a compressible gas or spring for propelling the projectile with the line to the dock as the boat is about to dock.
Another patent is to Dick Re. Pat. No. 25,372. This patent describes a boat mooring apparatus comprising a pair of movable mooring arms where there is a pivoted connection at the outermost end of the mooring arm. There is a male ball member and a pair of locking jaws for engaging the ball member in a ball and socket arrangement.
Another patent is Pat. No. 3,793,685 to Knecht, and it describes coupling apparatus for the moorings of boats or the like. There is a coupling device on the end of a mooring line for engaging a male coupler member supported on the dock.
Another patent is to Bowers et al Pat. No. 2,983,243, and it describes a boat anchor that includes a pull with a ratchet mechanism for operating a hook member on the ends of the pull for engaging a tree bough. Now this is a bank anchor. It's between the boat and a growth on the shoreline. This bank anchor is provided with a hooked end for engaging a remote object, and it has a slidable clamp which is ratchet-actuated to engage and securely clamp the object engaged by the hooked end of the anchor.
The last patent is to Palsson Pat. No. 2,811,127, and it describes a mooring hook which is a pole member that has an elongated handle and is operated by the deckhand for lifting a looped end of the mooring line over a piling on the dock side. This would make it unnecessary for the deckhand to jump from the boat onto the dock in order to secure the mooring line to the dock so as to anchor the boat at a boat slip.